The BadAss Teachers Association wants the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Pearson.
“This week’s scandal about Pearson spying on children and their social media activity to determine if testing security was breached shows us that Pearson has no qualms in stealing the sanctity of childhood. Gone are the days in which a child’s life can be that of a private citizen. The idea that Pearson feels it must corral and control what our children put on social media is a corruption, greed, and injustice sandwich. Sorry Pearson we are not eating it.
“Here is a strong and direct warning from the teachers and parents of the Badass Teachers Association – You messed up and you messed up BIG. Due to your attempt to continue to buy up and control American education you have committed perhaps the most disgusting act any one could commit – you have used our children to further your agenda in a light that is so transparent. America values its children’s privacy and respects their ability to be private citizens.”
Write Michael Barber, who directs Pearson:
michael.barber@pearson.com
@MichaelBarber9
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I say Go get them and squash ’em!!!! Give them a taste of there own medicine. It looks like to me that we might be gaining some ground in NY. My school in Rochester is asking all younger grades below 8th grade to opt out of testing. Yeah!!!!!!
Here we have a company in which profits trump not only children, but the rights of these children. Children, unfortunately cannot protect themselves against this greedy corporation that tramples on their basic civil rights. Therefore, only their parents and their teachers can protect the sanctity of these children. If one invents a system in which tests are so important, then only the public and not a profit-driven private entity should create such tests. it should be the school system or the state itself who should invent the test. If one wants to use an assessment by a private company, it should be each individual district that determines which test to use based on the unique needs of their student population.
Politico has a good piece about the contractor(s) doing the monitoring.
“Chris Frydrych, the CEO of Geo Listening, says his service routinely alerts school principals to students whose posts indicate they’re feeling particularly stressed or angry. He also points administrators to students who share too much personal information online, leaving them vulnerable to cyber predators.
Boasts about cheating. Dares to act recklessly. Taunts. Threats. Trash talk about teachers. For $7,500 per school per year, his service will scoop it all up and report it all to administrators.
“Our philosophy is, if someone in China can type in your child’s user name and see what they’re posting publicly on social media, shouldn’t the people who are the trusted in adults in a child’s life see that information?” Frydrych said.
He responds to critics who worry about privacy violations by quoting a student tweet he spotted while monitoring a school: “Twitter is not your diary. Get over it.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/cyber-snoops-track-students-116276.html#ixzz3V24EuBKl
Someone should inform this guy that he works for, and is paid by, the students and parents he’s sneering at. The arrogance is just incredible. The contractors we’re all paying seem to be running the show.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/cyber-snoops-track-students-116276.html#ixzz3V23ajlPV
If it’s not too much trouble (I don’t want to offend them) maybe the contractors who got this giant and profitable government contract that is mandatory for students and not, actually, “a choice”, could explain their security policy/practices to parents and students?
Maybe we could ask that of them, since they work for us and have no “private sector” business without government contracting? I know it’;s cheeky of me and probably out of bounds but maybe if we ask them in a really nice way they’d allow queries from the masses.
Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
Pearson messed up BIG due to its attempt to continue to buy up and control American education. Pearson, a UK corporation, has committed perhaps the most disgusting act any one could commit – Pearson is using our children to further their profit driven agenda in a light that is very transparent. But America values its children’s privacy and respects their ability to be private citizens.
How is Pearson different than ISIS when we measure foreign threats to the United States? Pearson isn’t even a U.S. corporation. What they are doing is an invasion that threatens our public education system, the health and well being of our children and our Constitution—the foundation of our culture.
The least the U.S. could do is place sanctions on Pearson like we are doing to Russia, North Korea and Iran.
The virtual organization should have an “alternative” moniker to be taken seriously.
Lawsuits by public interest groups would be the way to go.
What Joseph said. “Unleash the lawyers!” (attributed to Nancy Grace)
An investigation by every Federal and State law enforcement agency should go after Pearson. And I do mean every State that has any dealings with Pearson. Every Attorney General such be digging deep in to contracts that Education Departments have made with Pearson. The link between Pearson and the US Department of Education should be investigated. This should have happened months ago.
I agree!!! Hope it happens but they tend to protect their own. Look at Monsanto? Still nothing is being done.
Investigate Pearson. .thx Diane
Pearson would not be getting away with this if our politicians weren’t handing over our school system to them on a platter. They have many of our elected officials in their pockets.
Thank you! I have been told by parents that they did not sign a non-disclosure agreement with Pearson and minor children cannot legally enter into a binding contract, so what right has Pearson to even complain about them sharing in the first place? Unlike teachers, they have not been forced to sign a gag order or lose their jobs.
And we know that Pearson is hiring temps off Craigslist to score tests. https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/bus/4902723310.html
https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/edu/4902729407.html
Are they hiring “watchers” off Craigslist too, to patrol social media and follow children? Who IS following kids around on social media? Talk about creepy.
These tests are just bad in so many ways: confusing questions, all choices “correct,” wrong answers, etc. Teachers, parents, and students never get to see the results. These tests do no good!! Not only do they do no good, they are harmful. I have come to the opinion that they only profit Pearson (I hope they aren’t spying on my Facebook, but I think they are.)
Not only should they investigate Pearson, but also the districts who were aware of this malware being unleashed on children without parental knowledge or up-front options to opt-out.
You need to let me know that my child will be subjected to such spyware and you must give me the opportunity to say “Yes, I agree” or “No, I opt out”.
Thanks so much, Diane Ravitch, for your steadfast support for children and education. Your voice is treasured by struggling teachers, students, and parents, and most of all, by us, the BATS! ^0^ ^0^ ^:)^
Thank you so much for posting this, Diane! Pearson is trampling both children’s privacy and freedom of speech. It’s one of the core issues of our times. Do we respect more the rights of people or corporations?
Thanks for the post Diane. I get so much inspiration from your writings. It’s time for a close look at Pearson.
Thank you for your strong commitment to education. You are a voice of reason amid the destructive forces of Wall Street and the Koch Brothers. Let us hope that their crusade to end public education loses steam soon.
Thank you, Diane, for your passion for public education and schools. You are a champion for our students, and we are endlessly grateful for your support. ^o^
Thank you for posting this! I work with moderately to severely disabled students and there is not a day that goes by that my students are being impacted by the “specialists” at Pearson… My students are evaluated in everyway, thanks to them. Enough already. ^o^
PRIVATIZING PRIVACY: The US government in it’s infinitesimal wisdom continues to expand the role of third party for-profit vendors in handling sensitive data and tread on our civil liberties. Remember, the Common Core was never voted on, debated, vetted or piloted prior to adoption, so these are the many unresolved details and loose ends that end up from trying to build a plane in the air.
At best, we can say the NSA and military surveillance programs are trying to find terrorists, but monitoring school children in order to protect from leaks of “secure” test items is something that should have parent buy-in before we commit tax dollars to it.
And as we teachers try to explain the 4th Amendment protection of personal privacy of all citizens’ papers and effects, how do we tell them that their communications are being monitored so that Pearson’s copyrighted materials can be protected?
^v^
Thank you, Diane. Pearson is having such a negative impact on the education of children. As a first grade teacher, I experience their reading program. They would like to make it my reading, writing, social studies and science curriculum. My administrators think I know nothing. It is all about fidelity. How sad for students, teachers…human beings!
Thanks for posting this story, Professor. It’s about time the people’s government investigate this multi-national corporation.
Thank you, Diane, for your commitment to our children and their rights. Childhood is at risk and Pearson is behind much of the malfeasance. It is time to investigate and hold Pearson accountable.
Well said! Thank you for speaking up for our children
Thank you so much, Diane Ravitch! Your advocacy for teachers and students helps me to go to work everyday. I knew I was only in it for the kids, but….! p.s. Please consider trademarking “corruption, greed, and injustice sandwich” because I might steal it if you don’t!!!!!! ^0^
Thank you, Dr. Ravitch, for your continued support of our students, teachers and parents in public schools. We appreciate all you do to help educate the public and give teachers a voice. ^0^
Thank you for your fearless, unswerving challenges to the establishment!
Go get ’em! Quoted Ms. Ravitch throughout my master’s thesis on CCSS and the lack of the ability to teach history content, specifically the Holocaust Mandate in NJ.
Absolutely! Bring on an investigation! Also, we need a people’s vote re: local control v. federal control and a vote on high stakes testing. If the people’s opinions are being steamrolled by business/government partnerships, I’d say that we have a revolution on the way. Thank you, Diane, for being the voice of the people. You are a hero and a leader.
While the DOJ is at it, maybe they can find out why Scholastic needs my child’s birthday when I want to order a book…